Chicago Marathon RR (Part 3 - The Aftermath)

I finished my race, had a few beers, got an amazing massage, and I was IN.PAIN

The night after the race, I sent the following email to my coach of my thoughts.

I felt spectacular for the first half of the race. I got a 10 mile and right at my half PR. At mile 14, my right quad started cramping and things went downhill from there. I stopped and stretched it out and applied pressure for a couple of minutes. I felt better for a bit but the cramps continued to creep up. So I decided that I needed more Gatorade and bananas whenever I could find them. I needed something to try and resolve the issue.

I ended up spending what I felt was more time walking than running for the rest of the race.

It's upsetting that I couldn't continue to run my race and perform like I know I was training and trained for.

Unlike my first marathon, I am not saying I won't do a marathon ever again, but I will stick to half marathons for the time being. The marathon is SO tough to complete.

There are several silver linings from today:

I saw many runners who were cramping past the halfway point. I was happy that I wasn't the only one.

I ran a great race during the first half. I felt strong and felt that my form was right on. Until I got the cramp, I was confident that I would finish the whole race strong.

I knew I was ready and confident.

My form didn't suffer until mile 18 when I really started favoring my right leg.

My IT band only gave me one indication of an issue for about 10 steps.

I loved the race. It was a spectacular environment and if I ever do another, Chicago would be on my list.

Thanks for all your help and I'll see you on Sunday for a short first run.

Up to the point that I had written my email, I was dead set on staying away from another marathon any time soon.

The following morning, I woke up and told my brother that maybe another marathon isn’t too far away. I hobbled everywhere I went in the city on Monday. My legs actually felt fine, and I could have run if needed. But my right ankle was swollen, and it hurt like the dickens.

I tried massaging it, rolling it around in the air, elevating it, and so on. I couldn’t get it to pop, and the pain never subsided. I hobbled everywhere.

In fact, I hobbled everywhere for 10 days. I decided on the following Saturday night that I wouldn’t be running the following day. My ankle was still in pain. It was then that I decided I needed to go to the doctor.

I arrived at the doctor, and the technician was taking my vitals and she started asking the usual questions. And then this happened.

Tech: How did you hurt your ankle?

Me: I ran the Chicago Marathon about a week and a half ago.

T: (Grinning) – How long did you run?

Me: they are all 26.2 miles

T: Oh – and out she went

Shortly after her departure, I heard lots of laughter and the faintest “You didn’t know that?”

About two minutes later, the doctor entered with a smile. And this is my conversation with him:

Doc: So you hurt your ankle running Chicago huh.

Me: Yea, I think I walked close to the curb too much. And for the past 10 days I’ve been hobbling around like an 8th grader whose been raiding his parent’s liquor cabinet.

D: Let me take a look at your feet.

I took off both shoes and socks

D: Wooah.

Me: What is it?

D: Those are the highest arches I’ve seen in a while.

Me: Yes I have really high arches.

D: And you don’t have foot problems?

Me: Nope. This is the first real injury I’ve had in the 6 years I’ve been running.

D: Those arches are super high.

Me: Yes, they are from St. Louis. Do you want to bring other people in here to look?

D: Uh, no.

Me: Okay, about the ankle.

D: (Looks at it) Yup, you strained a tendon. You’ll need to rest it for at least two weeks.

Me: Is that two weeks from the day of the race? Because that would be this weekend.

D: No, that’s at least two weeks from today.

Me: Oh. How about the first weekend in November?

D: That’s not two weeks.

Me: But it’s close…

So I got an anti-inflammatory and pain medication. I was instructed to take them until I have finished all thirty days. And I got a refill for both, which I thought was a bit strange.

I did my best not to run or think of running during my hiatus. But I did wake up a couple of early mornings to go and hang out with the group at the track. Overall, I really started to enjoy sleeping in every day. I dare say that I began to resemble a slob.

My ankle was getting better each day, and there were times that I didn’t even feel pain. As the first weekend in November approached, I began to get nervous that my ankle wasn’t heeled enough to run on. On Halloween, I jogged for about 100 yards to catch up with the kiddos. I didn’t feel any pain, so I decided right then that I would be joining my running group on Sunday for an hour run.

I promised myself and DW that if I felt any pain, I would stop. Luckily, I didn’t have any pain to speak of during the run. Tuesday I did track work. The group has started taper for the RnR San Antonio. They had 4x400 on tap. I didn’t truly push myself during the run, but it did feel great to get some speed going. Thursday was 4x200, and I kept that a little more relaxed.

I figure I won’t be completely healed for at least another month. During that time, I have two half marathons that I’m running with DW. The Shiner Beer Run occurs on the 23rd of this month, and the Illuminations Half is on December 7. If I’m feeling up to it, I’ll race the Shiner. But I will be enjoying the beauty of the hill country along with DW while running on illuminated cart paths during the December 7 race.

Provided I reach my arbitrary mileage goals by Illuminations, I’ll likely shut it down for the remainder of the year. I’m sure it would do my body good.

To this day, I am waffling as to whether or not running another one is in my best interest. I love the training associated with the marathon. And completing a marathon is something that just makes me feel good. But it’s SOOOO tough and completely different than the half (which I absolutely love). I probably need to do more marathons so that I can figure out the strategy, which would make my experience better.

I realized just the other day that I would talk myself into a marathon while discussing race experiences with one friend, but with another, I talk myself out of running another marathon. I truly don’t know if I should run one.

In my two experiences, my right ankle has been swollen. The difference is that this time, I had an actual plan for the race, and I was smart about taking time off afterwards.

I want to run for the rest of my life, and being stupid won’t get me to that finish line.

The Loop is an active community of bloggers. "Loopsters" share their running experiences and give each other tons of encouragement. To get involved, post a comment on someone's blog or click the "Create New Post" button to start a blog of your own.